NSCA CSCS Practical 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the MOST appropriate method for a strength coach to measure an athlete's resting heart rate for training program decisions?
- Immediately after a 5-minute warm-up jog
- First thing in the morning before rising from bed (Correct answer)
- After 10 minutes of seated rest pre-practice
- During the cooldown of a previous training session
Correct answer: First thing in the morning before rising from bed
Resting heart rate is most accurately measured in the morning before rising, when sympathetic nervous system activity is at its lowest.
Question 2: When coaching a hang power snatch, the coach notices the athlete is catching the bar with a wide elbow position. What is the likely cause?
- The athlete is pulling the bar too high
- The athlete lacks adequate shoulder external rotation and flexibility (Correct answer)
- The athlete's stance is too narrow during the catch
- The athlete is initiating the pull from too low a position
Correct answer: The athlete lacks adequate shoulder external rotation and flexibility
Wide elbows during the snatch catch typically indicate insufficient shoulder external rotation and overhead mobility rather than a pulling mechanics issue.
Question 3: An athlete is performing a dumbbell walking lunge. Which technical error most increases the risk of patellar tendon stress?
- Allowing the front knee to track significantly forward past the toes (Correct answer)
- Taking shorter steps than recommended
- Holding dumbbells at the sides rather than overhead
- Keeping the torso perfectly upright
Correct answer: Allowing the front knee to track significantly forward past the toes
Excessive forward knee travel past the toes increases the moment arm at the knee, placing disproportionate stress on the patellar tendon.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST describes the primary role of the spotter during a heavy barbell overhead press performed in a standing position?
- Grip the barbell on either side of the athlete's hands
- Stand behind the athlete with hands near the bar at shoulder height (Correct answer)
- Stand in front to monitor bar path and technique
- Support the athlete's lower back throughout the lift
Correct answer: Stand behind the athlete with hands near the bar at shoulder height
The spotter stands behind the athlete with hands ready near the bar at shoulder height to intervene safely if the athlete fails the lift overhead.
Question 5: A baseball pitcher is doing a 1RM test for the back squat. Which readiness indicator should make the coach POSTPONE the test?
- Athlete slept 7 hours the previous night
- Athlete reports a soreness rating of 3/10 in the quads
- Athlete mentions feeling anxious about the test
- Athlete had a competition game 24 hours prior (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Athlete had a competition game 24 hours prior
Competing 24 hours before a maximal strength test means the athlete has not sufficiently recovered, making valid 1RM assessment unsafe and unreliable.
Question 6: During a high pull exercise, the elbows should travel in which direction as the bar rises?
- Downward and inward to keep the bar close
- Upward and outward, staying above the wrists (Correct answer)
- Backward to increase posterior chain engagement
- Forward and above the bar to lead the movement
Correct answer: Upward and outward, staying above the wrists
In the high pull, the elbows move upward and outward and must remain above the wrists throughout the pulling phase to maintain proper bar trajectory.
Question 7: An athlete performing a box jump consistently fails to land with knees flexed and absorbs the landing with straight, stiff legs. What is the MOST appropriate coaching intervention?
- Increase box height to encourage more forceful jump
- Cue the athlete to 'stick the landing' with soft, bent knees (Correct answer)
- Switch to a depth jump to reinforce reactive landing
- Add ankle weights to increase proprioceptive feedback
Correct answer: Cue the athlete to 'stick the landing' with soft, bent knees
Cueing 'soft, bent knees' on landing reinforces the deceleration mechanics needed to absorb impact and protect the joints from stiff-legged landing forces.
NSCA CSCS Practical 3
What is the MOST appropriate method for a strength coach to measure an athlete's resting heart rate for training program decisions?